


time (is a fluid concept)

by julianbashir



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Time Travel, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 16:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18641461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julianbashir/pseuds/julianbashir
Summary: Tony closes his eyes in 2024. When he opens them, he's sitting in the backseat of a Humvee in 2008.





	time (is a fluid concept)

**Author's Note:**

> I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it’s a stupid-ass decision, I’ve elected to ignore it.

Tony closes his eyes in 2024. When he opens them, he's sitting in the backseat of a Humvee in 2008.

If death is going to be reliving all of his most traumatic experiences over and over, he would really like to get off this ride, now.

There's a glass in his hand and a truly obnoxious pair of sunglasses perched on his nose. His body isn't giving off the telltale symptoms of middle age (yes, okay, Tony got old at some point, which is some sort of miracle all on its own) and a decade of throwing himself around in a suit of flying armor. He can remember everything that happened with crystal clarity. This time he thinks he'll skip the jokes. Might as well see if he can change anything or if he's just going to loop through this shit-show until he completely loses his mind.

'So, are you allowed to talk to me, or did the grand high poobah tell you to keep your mouth shut and the merchant of death happy?'

Okay. So Tony maybe still has some residual guilt about his life pre-Iron Man, but that's probably fair.

'We can talk, sir.'

'Ah, I see.' Tony glances around, trying to see if there's anywhere he can set down the booze he absolutely is not going to be drinking right before they're possibly going to get blown up. 'So it's personal.'

'No.' The driver's speaking and Tony remembers finally getting the lists of the deceased when he got home. Lyssa Sanders. 32. Third tour of duty. Two kids and a husband who thought she hung the moon. They got a very generous anonymous donation that paid for the kids' educations. Tony can still tell you the exact configuration of dimples on her face. He used to see her face every night along with Jimmy and Michael, his compatriots in the not-so-Funvee. 'You intimidate them.'

'Airman, I hope you're incorrect.' Tony returns the grin she shoots him. He wonders if her daughter will still go to Dartmouth and her son to Brandeis. 'Ma'am, I'm going to tell you something highly unusual and I hope you'll take me seriously, because I know despite the money and the weapons I'm not seen as a particularly serious person.'

Sanders raises her eyebrows and nods.

'Just before we left the base I received an intelligence report that a terrorist cell known as the Nine Rings has been dispatched to kidnap me.' Tony takes off the sunglasses and meets her gaze steadily. 'And I have reason to believe we're about to roll into an ambush.'

Sanders immediately pulls the Humvee to a stop and starts snapping orders into the radio.

Tony takes a shuddering breath, tosses the dregs of his drink out the window.

Showtime.


End file.
